NORTH CAROLINA SECTION NEWS - AUGUST, 2010
75th ANNIVERSARY FOR ARES - in the September issue of QST you will see articles celebrating the 75th anniversary for Amateur Radio Emergency Services. We in North Carolina have a great ARES team so we salute all the ARES volunteers who have contributed their services during and after disasters over the past three quarters of a century. For those of you going to the Shelby Hamfest, Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) Tom Brown, N4TAB, and Central Branch Asst. Section Emergency Coordinator (ASEC) Steve Misel, K4WEB, will host an ARES forum on Saturday at 12:30 PM to discuss the many positive changes in North Carolina ARES.
NORTH CAROLINA BROADBAND EXPANSION - Gov. Perdue recently announced
$255 million will be used to extend broadband services across the
state. Some Hams have expressed concerns that this expansion might
include Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) systems. Many will remember
that utilities in North Carolina experimented with such technologies,
some of which did cause interference in Amateur Radio frequencies.
This new proposal will consist of both wired and wireless technologies.
We will monitor the types of systems which are proposed to be installed,
and should we identify any technologies which will adversely impact
Amateur Radio, we will work to get such systems changed to ones which
do not cause Amateur Radio interference. If you ever have concerns
about any state initiatives or would like help in crafting a response
to state officials about this or other state issues, feel free to send
a draft copy first to our section State Government Liaison (SGL) Bob
Conder, K4RLC, at
PUBLIC SERVICE - Sept. 11-12, MS Mile Bike Ride, New Bern; Sept.
18-19, Ride Without Limits, Camp Kanata, NC; Sept. 25, ADA Step Out
Walk for Diabetes, RTP, NC. For all previous events go to
JULY NTS REPORTS - QNI (Net station check-ins) 2,519. Messages passed -389. STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS (SARs) K4IWW 428, W2EAG 247, W4DNA 103, W4TTO 55, W3HL 40, KE4AHC 33, KC4PGN 21, NC4VA 20, WK4P 18. JULY PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL (PSHR) NC4VA 256, K4IWW 130, W4DNA 130, W2EAG 125, W4TTO 100, KD4KFR 79.
ARES - Members - 672, ICS credentialed 170, DEC/EC reports: 36 out of 100 counties. ATTN ECs and DECs - if you're not filing your monthly reports, your ARES members aren't included in section reports.
LAST WORD - In a 1943 movie called "Falling Hare", Bugs Bunny coined the phrase, "What's all the hubbub, Bub?" I've been hearing similar questions being asked of me at hamfests and in emails concerning North Carolina ARES. Some Hams have questioned if all I'm doing is concentrating on ARES. Nothing could be further from the truth, but a lot of exciting things have been happening in ARES in the four months since I've been Section Manager. First, at the state ARES meeting in Raleigh in April, we adopted the policy that all ARES volunteers who serve as county Emergency Coordinators (ECs) or higher, or who want to volunteer for government deployments or disaster deployments, must have completed ICS courses 100, 200,700 and 800b. I am pleased that almost half of North Carolina's 100 counties now have ECs with all four ICS courses completed, and we expect 75% compliance by the end of the year. Secondly, ARES is celebrating its 75th year of existence. Not many disaster response organizations can claim such longevity, and we plan to recognize ARES's Diamond Anniversary through the end of the year. Does this mean I'm playing favorites with ARES? Hardly. It's true that about half of all ARRL North Carolina Section field management appointments are ARES volunteers, and ARES has been the organization receiving virtually all government grants and funding. So when there is news to share, I want to share it, even if much of the news comes from one organization. My belief is, however, that Hams become better operators when they get on the air and practice, whether that's through NTS, DXing, contesting, experimentation, net participation, ragchewing or, yes, ARES. As time goes on you'll see this column cover many aspects of Amateur Radio other than ARES, but for now, Happy 75th Birthday to ARES, and thanks for three quarters of a century of dedicated service.
73 de Bill Morine, N2COP North Carolina Section Manager
For the latest news about Amateur Radio in North Carolina, go the the
section's website at